Sports Illustrated

The 2022 draft is days away and the big picture has started to come together, with teams finalizing their boards and trade talks beginning to get serious. And as of this morning, I think it’s fair to say that there’s more uncertainty around the league this late in the process than there’s been in some time. Teams certainly have some sense of what’s going to happen, but the Magic and Thunder in particular have played things close to the vest at the very top, leaving slivers of doubt here and there as to how this goes down. The possibility of trades all over the draft—potentially in the top 10—should make this a fascinating final stretch. As usual, the SI mock aims to predict what the draft would look like if it took place on a given day. These projections are heavily informed by intel from around the NBA and ongoing conversations with executives, scouts and others around the industry, in addition to my own personal evaluations of players, which in many cases date back years. Note that these are *not* prospect rankings: for that, take a look at our final Big Board. These projections will be updated throughout the week to reflect new information coming in, and any transactions that take place prior to the draft.